1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to production control systems and methods for assigning fabrication facility production demand. More particularly, the present invention relates to production control systems and methods for flexibly assigning fabrication facility production demand.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microelectronic fabrications are formed from microelectronic substrates over which are formed patterned microelectronic conductor layers which are separated by microelectronic dielectric layers.
Common in the art of microelectronic fabrication for use when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities is the use of production control systems for assigning and scheduling microelectronic fabrication production demand and microelectronic fabrication work in process (WIP) workload within microelectronic fabrication facilities. Production control systems are desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication for assigning and scheduling microelectronic fabrication production demand and microelectronic fabrication work in process (WIP) workload within microelectronic fabrication facilities insofar as absent production control systems within fabrication facilities, such as but not limited to microelectronic fabrication facilities, production from such facilities is often not readily efficiently realized.
While production control systems are thus clearly desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication and often essential in the art of microelectronic fabrication, production control systems are nonetheless not entirely without problems in the art of microelectronic fabrication.
In that regard, production control systems do not always provide optimal flexibility with respect to assigning and scheduling production demand and work in process (WIP) workload within fabrication facilities, such as microelectronic fabrication demand and work in process (WIP) workload within microelectronic fabrication facilities.
It is thus desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication to provide production control systems with enhanced flexibility for assigning and scheduling microelectronic fabrication production demand within microelectronic fabrication facilities.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.
Various production control systems and methods have been disclosed within various fabrication arts for assisting in operation of fabrication facilities as employed within the various fabrication arts.
Included among the production control systems and methods, but not limited among the production control systems and methods, are production control systems and methods disclosed within: (1) Chen et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,133 (a production control work in process (WIP) workload management system and method which provide for enhanced efficiency when managing a work in process (WIP) workload within a fabrication facility, such as a microelectronic fabrication facility, by employing interactive data processing capabilities within the production control work in process (WIP) workload management system and method); and (2) Fargher et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,040 (a computer assisted production control system and method for production planning with enhanced efficiency within a fabrication facility, such as a microelectronic fabrication facility, by employing a fuzzy logic algorithm within a computer employed within the computer assisted production control system and method).
Desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication are additional systems and methods which may be employed for more flexibly managing microelectronic fabrication production within microelectronic fabrication facilities.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for managing production within a microelectronic fabrication facility.
A second object of the present invention is to provide the system and the method in accord with the first object of the present invention, wherein the production is flexibly managed within the microelectronic fabrication facility.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method in accord with the first object of the present invention and the second object of the present invention, wherein the system and the method are readily commercially implemented.
In accord with the objects of the present invention, there is provided by the present invention a computer assisted system for assigning a production demand within a fabrication facility and a computer assisted method for assigning the production demand within the fabrication facility.
In accord with the present invention, the computer assisted system for assigning the production demand comprises in a first instance a plurality of fabrication facilities, where the plurality of fabrication facilities has a first sub-plurality of fabrication facilities qualified for producing an existing product and a second sub-plurality of fabrication facilities capable of producing a new product. In accord with the present invention, the computer assisted system also comprises a computer programmed such as to: (1) receive a production demand; (2) discriminate an existing product production demand content of the production demand and a new product production demand content of the production demand; and (3) assign the existing product production demand content within at least one fabrication facility within the first sub-plurality of fabrication facilities and assign the new product production demand content within a single fabrication facility within the second sub-plurality of fabrication facilities.
The computer assisted system for assigning the production demand within the fabrication facility in accord with the present invention contemplates the computer assisted method for assigning the production demand within the fabrication facility in accord with the present invention.
The present invention provides a system and a method for managing production within a fabrication facility, such as a microelectronic fabrication facility, wherein the system and the method provide for flexibly managing the production within the fabrication facility, such as the microelectronic fabrication facility.
The system of the present invention and the method of the present invention realize the foregoing object with respect to a plurality of fabrication facilities by providing for assigning production demand for an existing product within at least one fabrication facility within a sub-plurality of fabrication facilities qualified for producing the existing product, while assigning production demand for a new product within only a single fabrication facility within a sub-plurality of fabrication facilities capable of producing the new product.
The system of the present invention and the method of the present invention are readily commercially implemented.
The present invention employs data acquisition apparatus and data processing apparatus as are generally conventional in arts including but not limited to microelectronic fabrication arts, but programmed and assembled such as to effect the objects of the present invention. Since it is thus at least a programming of a data acquisition apparatus and a data processing apparatus which provides at least in part the present invention, rather than the existence of the data acquisition apparatus and the data processing apparatus which provides the present invention, the system of the present invention and the method of the present invention are readily commercially implemented.